Ah, another chapter. Another time when I respond to the reviews.
Dancing Mouse: Yeah, I know it was short. I'm thinking the first chapter was more like an intro to the actual story than a chapter in its own right.
On with the story!
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Professor Ratigan felt like a leech was sucking out his brain through his ear. He tried to figure out what could possibly have caused such agony, but his gradually recovering brain functions didn't stretch to memory just yet. Breathing and lying down was about all he could manage at the moment.
Time to attempt speech. Something short and pertinent. Help, he decided, would be the one to go for. He took a trembling breath and opened her mouth.
"Mummlp" said his treacherous lips. No good. Incomprehensible, even by a drunkard's standards.
What was going on here? He was flat on his back with no more strength in his body than a dead bloodhound. What could have done this to him? Ratigan concentrated, skirting the edge of blinding pain.
The museum? Was that what happened? Did the strange, pale female human from the museum maul her with her claws? That would explain a lot. But no. He suddenly recalled something about the Eye of the Ice Queen. And the opposing villains. And... Where was he, anyway?
--------------------------------------------Ratigan sat up, the covers falling away from his chest. A quick check revealed that he was still wearing the clothes he was wearing from last night...
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Ratigan gasped slightly as the needle pierced the suit, and his eyes widened as he pulled the strange dart from his arm. As the world started to spin, he stared terrified at the strange girl who had bested him.
"Don't worry", she said reassuringly. "Just a sedative."
"Oh..." Then all went black.
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Ratigan growled. Whoever did this would pay...
His eyes darted towards the open doorway. At least something was going his way...
Carefully opening the doorway, he cautiously crept down the hallway on all fours like a cat, testing each area of floor in front of him before moving forward.
He was definitely on a ship, but the motions felt more like they belonged to a larger ship than a small barge that usually docked in the area near his lair...
Reaching a corner in the hallway, he prepared to glance around the corner for signs of others, when a door creaked open near the end of the hall.
Ratigan's muscles tensed under his fur and skin. Judging by the size and shape of the rat, it was the same person who had bested him in the museum.
His breathing became deeper and more rapid.
Unbeknown to him, he started growling, a low thunderous sound.
In short, he was becoming what he swore he never would again.
Finally, he pounced!
He and the strange girl wrestled briefly, tumbling over each other down the hallway, until Ratigan finally had his foe pinned underneath him, her arms pinned in their spread-eagled position, bodies pressed against each other.
In that moment, all thoughts of blood lust and revenge left Ratigan's mind. "What the...?"
He had been right. The girl from the museum.
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Veeken raised an eyebrow at Ratigan's expression of shock. The rat had gone from rabid murderer to scared cub in a second. A kitten could have knocked him over and stolen his watch in a second.
Their forms were pressed together, but he was too in shock to think anything of it. His breathing was normal now, and he was relatively calmer now than he had been when he'd attacked her.
Carefully sliding her arms out from where they were pinned down, Veeken carefully slid her body out from underneath him. Slowly standing, she placed a gentle hand on her future father's shoulder.
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Ratigan's eyes widened as he felt the hand on his shoulder. First the abduction, now this! What was going on here?
The girl's hand slowly traced down from his shoulder to-"Oh, God", he gasped. The hand traced a line down his spine, halting at the small of his back, and Ratigan collapsed onto the floor as his arms gave way. The hand was removed, and Ratigan calmed down to get his thoughts in order.
Suddenly-"A-HEM."
Ratigan looked up to see another rat, about the same age of the first, who must have come in while he was distracted. She smiled, arms crossed over her chest. "Getting to know each other, are we?"
"Oh, ha, ha, ha", Ratigan muttered sarcastically. "Now, will someone help me up?!"
"All right, all right", the first girl laughed. Kneeling, she offered Ratigan a hand, which he cautiously accepted. Slowly, he stood, still a little shaky from the aftereffects of whatever the first girl had done.
The second rat cleared her throat and was all business in a moment. "By the way, Dr. Director wants to talk with you, Veek. Ratigan too."
The girl bowed slightly, and Ratigan slowly walked past. This was confusing...
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Des glanced at Veeken. "What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?", Veeken asked innocently.
"That!", Des exclaimed. "How'd you know he'd do that?"
"I've dealt with him for over a year now", Veeken replied matter-of-factly, blushing. "Personally, I think he's really weird sometimes."
Tzuzuku...
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Ah, yes, another chapter done. Read and Review, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.
